The invention relates to gimbal bearings.
Gimbal bearings are commonly used in gyroscopes such as are found in the navigational systems of vehicles including, for example, air planes, boats, space vehicles or guided missles. In general, a gimbal bearing is a device which supports another object and permits it to pivot freely within a predetermined range about a point. As part of a gyroscope, the gimbal bearing typically supports a rotor that spins at a high rate of speed. When the rotor is spinning rapidly, it tends to maintain a fixed orientation in space while the orientation of the housing that contains the rotor changes direction as the vehicle in which the housing is mounted moves. The fixed orientation of the rotor provides a convenient reference against which the orientation of the vehicle can be compared to accurately determine the direction of the vehicle.
In airborne applications, which typically impose severe space limitations, it is often desireable that the gimbal bearing be physically small. In addition, it is also often desireable that the gimbal bearing be constructed to withstand extremes in operating conditions. Thus, for example, it often must withstand large acceleration forces and a wide range in operating temperatures.